The 2022 NFL Draft Class: An Offseason Quarterback Update
A little under three months until the 2022 NFL Draft, the picture at quarterback is still as shaky as it was in early October. In an earlier article, I took a deep dive look at the position, trying to decipher if there is a signal-caller worthy of a high selection. The premise of whether or not one will get drafted with a high selection is misguided. More than likely a quarterback, or two, will be taken within the top 15 picks; it should not shock anyone if a team trades up for their guy. General managers will take a risk on a player, who will hopefully propel their team to success, even if the value is not there.
A lot has changed since that quarterback deep dive in October. Spencer Rattler, the player whose upside was expected to trump his reckless freshman mistakes, continued to pile up less than stellar tape at Oklahoma. His sporadic play resulted in his benching in favor of freshman Caleb Williams, leading to Rattler’s eventual transfer to join former Oklahoma assistant head coach Shane Beamer at South Carolina this offseason.
Rattler will certainly be revisited next year, but of the quarterbacks who remain in this class, a large portion participated in the 2022 Reese’s Senior Bowl. Despite countless opportunities in front of NFL personnel, no quarterback took over the QB1 mantle with a crazy week in Mobile. There were flashes from the six passers, but none could top Josh Allen or Justin Herbert’s level of Senior Bowl performances.
Kenny Pickett showcased the most consistent down in Mobile, unsurprising for the Heisman finalist. The New Jersey native was serviceable during the practices and passable during the game. Despite a good stat-line, his play was average.
He managed to complete a long reception to North Dakota State receiver Christian Watson, but it was Watson who made a great catch on an underthrown ball. The pass will not be making Pickett’s highlight reel but it will make Watson's reel. The Pittsburgh quarterback did have a nice check down to Baylor running back Abram Smith, which resulted in a touchdown. Pickett ultimately didn’t hurt his stock but his play certainly didn’t help his case on the field either. Where Pickett won this week was in the interviews with NFL teams. Could Pickett be in play for Carolina at 6?
Malik Willis was exactly the quarterback he was at Liberty over the past two seasons. The electrifying Willis was easily the most exciting one in this group, with a ceiling that could result in being a potential top-five quarterback in the league. Willis’ arm was the best in Mobile, as the former Flames quarterback possesses a rocket launcher. The ball effortlessly flies out of his hand despite some of the worst lower half mechanics in the class. In the game, he gave his best Lamar Jackson impression to scouts, looking like the most elusive player in this draft regardless of position.
He is a big-time project though, there is no denying that. Willis’ mechanics certainly will not be taught to kids trying to learn the position. He relies on his upper body to throw the football, reminding me a lot of Josh Allen’s issues coming out of Wyoming. While his arm is still extremely impressive, his mechanics keep him from being a consistent quarterback.
Something to note: there was quite the buzz down in Mobile about Willis’ learning curve entering the league. Coming from an RPO-heavy offense at Liberty, he never really learned pro-level concepts. He will need to sit a year or two to learn and grow, but he could be a special player in the league. Malik Willis is the type of draft pick that either gets a front office staff a raise or earns them their walking papers.
Desmond Ridder had one of the weirdest Senior Bowl weeks in recent memory. He looked bad that first day of practice. The accuracy was inconsistent, and he was delivered late passes at a high rate. The second day was shaky too, but the rain ruined nearly every offensive player's day. The third day though? A flip switched for the Cincinnati signal-caller. He looked a lot more comfortable indoors, showing his arm talent a lot more than the previous two days. It looked more like the Desmond Ridder that torched SMU.
In the game, Ridder was the best quarterback. The throw of the game was his play-action connection with Nevada receiver Romeo Doubs. He looked a lot more comfortable with the in-game setting, but the overall inconsistency is worrying. Ridder had a poor showing for most of the week. The shaky accuracy on tape was still there in Mobile. Interviewing well with NFL personnel will be crucial for Ridder.
Sam Howell was simply okay this week and propped up by some mediocre practices by surrounding talent. He possesses a dynamic arm, satisfactory accuracy, and has quite the mobility. Nothing incredibly made him stand out at Mobile besides not messing up as much as others. He has talent, but he just didn’t do anything extraordinary here.
Everything said in my previous article about Howell still is true. He has a big adjustment from the RPO-heavy North Carolina offense, and he still fades away a bit too much on his throws. Matt Corral also will have the same learning curve. Neither quarterback should be expected to run the ball to nearly the same extent in the NFL, and both had offenses that muddy their evaluations. Neither quarterback’s tape is horrible... but both just leave you wanting more from them. Howell and Corral have plenty of arm talent, both able to make big-time throws, but they need to show more to be viewed as a franchise quarterback.
Carson Strong didn’t quite have the Senior Bowl fans hoped he would. Many believed that this would be Strong’s coronation… The event that catapulted the western gunslinger to the top of the quarterback rankings. He would answer all the doubts about his knee and mobility while proving that he was the most complete pocket passer amongst his peers. We did not see the best of Strong down in Mobile.
All week, the Nevada quarterback was incredibly inconsistent. It wasn’t his mobility that held him back, but rather shaky downfield accuracy. Passes sailed on Strong and his trademark velocity was not on display. Strong followed up a disappointing practice with a poor game performance. He threw an interception that should’ve easily been a touchdown, which was disappointing considering the deep ball’s supposed to be his specialty. The Senior Bowl doesn’t mean everything to an evaluation, and Strong’s film still speaks for itself, but it was not the best week for the Wolfpack QB.
Many will say it is a “bad” quarterback class, but it certainly doesn’t lack talent. There are not just small-armed game managers in this draft; there are potentially good starting quarterbacks. Most of the players lack the refinement seen in recent classes. NFL teams will take quarterbacks high. Now the question is... which one will be the first off the board?
Writer
-By: Jacob Keppen